The NCAA Board of Governors at its quarterly meeting today discussed two important issues shaping college sports: the work of the Constitution Committee and the independent gender equity review of NCAA championships. The board also named a new vice chair.
Constitution Committee update
TheConstitution Committeeprovided an update on its work, with initial concepts of a new NCAA constitution expected to be delivered to member schools and conferences by Nov. 8. ASpecial Conventionwill be held virtually Nov. 15 and will provide members an opportunity to share feedback.
Board of Governors chair Jack DeGioia, president at Georgetown, and NCAA President Mark Emmert recently outlined atimeline of eventsrequired for the Association to transform its governance.
A new constitution is the first step in the process and will provide divisions the flexibility they need to act on the second step, which will require that each division review and update its rules to ensure that changes are consistent with the principles agreed upon in the new constitution.
The vote on a new constitution is expected in January at the 2022 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The work of rewriting rules in each division must be completed by August 2022, in time for the start of the new academic year.
"It's important all member schools and conferences understand the two steps required to bring the transformational change the Board of Governors envisioned when it initially called for next month's Special Convention," DeGioia said. "A new constitution, the critical first step, should provide greater autonomy for each division to update their rules in the second step to better support the needs of student-athletes."
Phase two of the gender equity review
The board received thesecond reportfrom Kaplan, Hecker & Fink's independent gender equity review. The first report focused on men's and women's basketball, while the second covers equity at all remaining NCAA championships.
In astatementreleased Tuesday after reviewing the report, the board reiterated its commitment to change and directed the national office and NCAA membership to evaluate the recommendations for further action.
In the months since the first report, the NCAA has taken significant steps—both at the national office and at the membership levels—to address gender equity concerns in the sport of basketball.
These include usingMarch Madness marketingat both the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and thecontinued explorationof hosting joint Men's and Women's Final Fours in the same city starting with the next bid cycle. Theproposal to expandthe women's championship field to 68 teams has advanced, with a final determination expected next month. The national office is also using zero-based budgeting to ensure equity in the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments.
New vice chair
Steven Shirley, president at Minot State, was voted the new vice chair of the Board of Governors. Shirley replaces Allison Garrett, president at Emporia State.